Telephony Outage Handling Using An On-Premises Telephony Node

ABSTRACT

A client device determines that a telephony outage is occurring. The client device connects to an on-premises telephony node using an encrypted password at the client device. The client device accesses a set of telephony services via the on-premises telephony node.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to handling telephony outages, such as thosethat may occur with telephony services implemented over a network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This disclosure is best understood from the following detaileddescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Itis emphasized that, according to common practice, the various featuresof the drawings are not to-scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of thevarious features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of an electronic computing andcommunications system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example internal configuration of acomputing device of an electronic computing and communications system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example of a software platformimplemented by an electronic computing and communications system.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example system in which handling a telephonyoutage may be implemented.

FIG. 5 is a data flow diagram of an example of a sequence of operationsfor handling a telephony outage.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example system in which telephony load balancingmay be implemented.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example of a technique for handling atelephony outage.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of a technique for a telephony nodeto provide telephony services.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example of a technique for telephony loadbalancing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Enterprise entities rely upon several modes of communication to supporttheir operations, including telephone, email, and internal messaging.These separate modes of communication have historically been implementedby service providers whose services are not integrated with one another.The disconnect between these services, in at least some cases, requiresinformation to be manually passed by users from one service to the next.Furthermore, some services, such as telephony services, aretraditionally delivered via on-premises systems, meaning that remoteworkers and those who are generally increasingly mobile may be unable torely upon them.

In telephony services, such as those implemented over a UnifiedCommunications as a Service (UCaaS) platform or other software platform,a client device may connect to a datacenter. The datacenter handlestelephony services for the client device and allows the client device toconnect to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). At some point,a telephony outage (e.g., affecting the datacenter or a network used fortelephony services) may prevent the client device from accessing thedatacenter. During the telephony outage, the client device might not beable to access some or all of the telephony services. This servicedisruption may result in a considerable negative impact to users.Techniques for allowing the client device to access telephony servicesduring the telephony outage may thus be desirable.

Implementations of this disclosure address problems such as these toallow telephony services to survive at a telephony customer premisesduring a wide telephony outage using a telephony node at the customerpremises. A telephony outage condition is determined based on (1) aclient-side determination that a client device is at the customerpremises and incapable of communicating with a server at a datacenter,and (2) a telephony node-side determination that the telephony node isat the customer premises and incapable of communicating with a server ata datacenter (the same or a different server). In response to the clientdevice attempting to reconnect to telephony services during thetelephony outage, an encrypted password which is stored at the clientdevice is transmitted from the client device to the telephony node,which decrypts the password and uses the same to authenticate telephonyservice access by the client device. The client device may then use thetelephony node as an intermediary to use the telephony services duringthe telephony outage. As used herein, a telephony node may providetelephony services. In some cases, the telephony node may also providefunctionality other than telephony services, such as Internet access orlocal data access. A telephony node may also be referred to as a “node.”

While using the telephony node as the intermediary, the client devicemay be able to use all or a subset of the services provided by thedatacenter, depending on the configuration of the client device or thetelephony node. In one example, the telephony node may be a “thin”telephony node that provides intra-office calling functionality andaccess to the PSTN. Other services, such as call recording, onlinemeeting creation, and automated receptionist service might not beavailable until the client device is able to reconnect to thedatacenter. Alternatively, the telephony node may be a “thick” telephonynode that provides some or all of the services of the datacenter. Theseservices may be provided by software residing at the telephony nodeand/or software residing locally at the client device.

The password may be a single sign-on (SSO) password of the client devicefor connecting to the telephony node and/or the datacenter. The passwordmay be stored at the client device, such that the client device mayautomatically (e.g., without user input or with minimal user input, suchas the user selecting a button) connect to the telephony node upondetecting the telephony outage or datacenter unavailability. In someexamples, the password is stored in a password manager (e.g., Windows®Credential Manager or iCloud Keychain®) at the client device.Alternatively, the user may manually type the password in order toconnect to the telephony node.

The implementations of this disclosure are described herein inconnection with telephony outages. However, the implementations of thisdisclosure may be expanded to cover any network or Internet outages.Accordingly, use cases for the implementations of this disclosure arenot limited to telephony outages.

Implementations of this disclosure describe using a single telephonynode or multiple telephony nodes. The telephony nodes may be on-premisestelephony nodes residing at a customer's premises. Different telephonynodes can provide different services, depending on the configurationselected. For example, one telephony node may handle PSTN calls andanother telephony node may handle video conferencing between on-premisesdevices. Alternatively, two or more telephony nodes may provide the sameservices. In such a case, load balancing may be implemented betweenmultiple telephony nodes to improve user experience, improvefunctionality, and/or reduce latency.

In some implementations, the user may be informed of the telephonyoutage via a display unit of the client device. For example, the usermay be shown a text box saying that a telephony outage is occurring, andthat the client device is attempting to connect to the telephony node.In some implementations, the user may be informed of the telephonyoutage when he/she tries to use telephony services and is told that thetelephony services are not available. This information may be providedvia the display or via an audio output when the user tries to accesstelephony services, for example, by dialing a telephone number.

In most cases, the telephony outage is resolved at some point after itis detected. After the telephony outage is resolved, telephony servicesmay be provided to the client device by the datacenter. In particular,telephony services by the telephony node may be stopped to allow theclient device to begin re-using the subject datacenter for telephonyservices. Alternatively, there may be load balancing between thedatacenter and the telephony node, as described herein, to enabletelephony services to be provided by both the telephony node and thedatacenter. In some implementations, the telephony node, and not thedatacenter, may continue providing telephony services to the clientdevice for some period of time or based on an ongoing call after thetelephony outage is resolved. For example, the telephony node maycontinue to provide telephony services for an ongoing call to preventinterruption during the ongoing call, it being noted that there may bean interruption if an ongoing call is handed over from the telephonynode to the datacenter. In some implementations, the user of the clientdevice may receive a notification indicating the restoration oftelephony services after the telephony outage is resolved, such as basedon the client device and/or the telephony node successfully connectingto the datacenter.

To describe some implementations in greater detail, reference is firstmade to examples of hardware and software structures used to implementtelephony outage handling using a telephony node. FIG. 1 is a blockdiagram of an example of an electronic computing and communicationssystem 100, which can be or include a distributed computing system(e.g., a client-server computing system), a cloud computing system, aclustered computing system, or the like.

The system 100 includes one or more customers, such as customers 102Athrough 102B, which may each be a public entity, private entity, oranother corporate entity or individual that purchases or otherwise usessoftware services, such as of a UCaaS platform provider. Each customercan include one or more clients. For example, as shown and withoutlimitation, the customer 102A can include clients 104A through 104B, andthe customer 102B can include clients 104C through 104D. A customer caninclude a customer network or domain. For example, and withoutlimitation, the clients 104A through 104B can be associated orcommunicate with a customer network or domain for the customer 102A andthe clients 104C through 104D can be associated or communicate with acustomer network or domain for the customer 102B.

A client, such as one of the clients 104A through 104D, may be orotherwise refer to one or both of a client device or a clientapplication. Where a client is or refers to a client device, the clientcan comprise a computing system, which can include one or more computingdevices, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, anotebook computer, a desktop computer, or another suitable computingdevice or combination of computing devices. Where a client instead is orrefers to a client application, the client can be an instance ofsoftware running on a customer device (e.g., a client device or anotherdevice). In some implementations, a client can be implemented as asingle physical unit or as a combination of physical units. In someimplementations, a single physical unit can include multiple clients.

The system 100 can include a number of customers and/or clients or canhave a configuration of customers or clients different from thatgenerally illustrated in FIG. 1 . For example, and without limitation,the system 100 can include hundreds or thousands of customers, and atleast some of the customers can include or be associated with a numberof clients.

The system 100 includes a datacenter 106, which may include one or moreservers. The datacenter 106 can represent a geographic location, whichcan include a facility, where the one or more servers are located. Thesystem 100 can include a number of datacenters and servers or caninclude a configuration of datacenters and servers different from thatgenerally illustrated in FIG. 1 . For example, and without limitation,the system 100 can include tens of datacenters, and at least some of thedatacenters can include hundreds or another suitable number of servers.In some implementations, the datacenter 106 can be associated orcommunicate with one or more datacenter networks or domains, which caninclude domains other than the customer domains for the customers 102Athrough 102B.

The datacenter 106 includes servers used for implementing softwareservices of a UCaaS platform. The datacenter 106 as generallyillustrated includes an application server 108, a database server 110,and a telephony server 112. The servers 108 through 112 can each be acomputing system, which can include one or more computing devices, suchas a desktop computer, a server computer, or another computer capable ofoperating as a server, or a combination thereof. A suitable number ofeach of the servers 108 through 112 can be implemented at the datacenter106. The UCaaS platform uses a multi-tenant architecture in whichinstallations or instantiations of the servers 108 through 112 is sharedamongst the customers 102A through 102B.

In some implementations, one or more of the servers 108 through 112 canbe a non-hardware server implemented on a physical device, such as ahardware server. In some implementations, a combination of two or moreof the application server 108, the database server 110, and thetelephony server 112 can be implemented as a single hardware server oras a single non-hardware server implemented on a single hardware server.In some implementations, the datacenter 106 can include servers otherthan or in addition to the servers 108 through 112, for example, a mediaserver, a proxy server, or a web server.

The application server 108 runs web-based software services deliverableto a client, such as one of the clients 104A through 104D. As describedabove, the software services may be of a UCaaS platform. For example,the application server 108 can implement all or a portion of a UCaaSplatform, including conferencing software, messaging software, and/orother intra-party or inter-party communications software. Theapplication server 108 may, for example, be or include a unitary JavaVirtual Machine (JVM).

In some implementations, the application server 108 can include anapplication node, which can be a process executed on the applicationserver 108. For example, and without limitation, the application nodecan be executed in order to deliver software services to a client, suchas one of the clients 104A through 104D, as part of a softwareapplication. The application node can be implemented using processingthreads, virtual machine instantiations, or other computing features ofthe application server 108. In some such implementations, theapplication server 108 can include a suitable number of applicationnodes, depending upon a system load or other characteristics associatedwith the application server 108. For example, and without limitation,the application server 108 can include two or more nodes forming a nodecluster. In some such implementations, the application nodes implementedon a single application server 108 can run on different hardwareservers.

The database server 110 stores, manages, or otherwise provides data fordelivering software services of the application server 108 to a client,such as one of the clients 104A through 104D. In particular, thedatabase server 110 may implement one or more databases, tables, orother information sources suitable for use with a software applicationimplemented using the application server 108. The database server 110may include a data storage unit accessible by software executed on theapplication server 108. A database implemented by the database server110 may be a relational database management system (RDBMS), an objectdatabase, an XML database, a configuration management database (CMDB), amanagement information base (MIB), one or more flat files, othersuitable non-transient storage mechanisms, or a combination thereof. Thesystem 100 can include one or more database servers, in which eachdatabase server can include one, two, three, or another suitable numberof databases configured as or comprising a suitable database type orcombination thereof.

In some implementations, one or more databases, tables, other suitableinformation sources, or portions or combinations thereof may be stored,managed, or otherwise provided by one or more of the elements of thesystem 100 other than the database server 110, for example, the client104 or the application server 108.

The telephony server 112 enables network-based telephony and webcommunications from and to clients of a customer, such as the clients104A through 104B for the customer 102A or the clients 104C through 104Dfor the customer 102B. Some or all of the clients 104A through 104D maybe voice over internet protocol (VOIP)-enabled devices configured tosend and receive calls over a network 114. In particular, the telephonyserver 112 includes a session initiation protocol (SIP) zone and a webzone. The SIP zone enables a client of a customer, such as the customer102A or 102B, to send and receive calls over the network 114 using SIPrequests and responses. The web zone integrates telephony data with theapplication server 108 to enable telephony-based traffic access tosoftware services run by the application server 108. Given the combinedfunctionality of the SIP zone and the web zone, the telephony server 112may be or include a cloud-based private branch exchange (PBX) system.

The SIP zone receives telephony traffic from a client of a customer anddirects same to a destination device. The SIP zone may include one ormore call switches for routing the telephony traffic. For example, toroute a VOIP call from a first VOIP-enabled client of a customer to asecond VOIP-enabled client of the same customer, the telephony server112 may initiate a SIP transaction between a first client and the secondclient using a PBX for the customer. However, in another example, toroute a VOIP call from a VOIP-enabled client of a customer to a clientor non-client device (e.g., a desktop phone which is not configured forVOIP communication) which is not VOIP-enabled, the telephony server 112may initiate a SIP transaction via a VOIP gateway that transmits the SIPsignal to a PSTN system for outbound communication to thenon-VOIP-enabled client or non-client phone. Hence, the telephony server112 may include a PSTN system and may in some cases access an externalPSTN system.

The telephony server 112 includes one or more session border controllers(SBCs) for interfacing the SIP zone with one or more aspects external tothe telephony server 112. In particular, an SBC can act as anintermediary to transmit and receive SIP requests and responses betweenclients or non-client devices of a given customer with clients ornon-client devices external to that customer. When incoming telephonytraffic for delivery to a client of a customer, such as one of theclients 104A through 104D, originating from outside the telephony server112 is received, a SBC receives the traffic and forwards it to a callswitch for routing to the client.

In some implementations, the telephony server 112, via the SIP zone, mayenable one or more forms of peering to a carrier or customer premise.For example, Internet peering to a customer premise may be enabled toease the migration of the customer from a legacy provider to a serviceprovider operating the telephony server 112. In another example, privatepeering to a customer premise may be enabled to leverage a privateconnection terminating at one end at the telephony server 112 and at theother end at a computing aspect of the customer environment. In yetanother example, carrier peering may be enabled to leverage a connectionof a peered carrier to the telephony server 112.

In some such implementations, a SBC or telephony gateway within thecustomer environment may operate as an intermediary between the SBC ofthe telephony server 112 and a PSTN for a peered carrier. When anexternal SBC is first registered with the telephony server 112, a callfrom a client can be routed through the SBC to a load balancer of theSIP zone, which directs the traffic to a call switch of the telephonyserver 112. Thereafter, the SBC may be configured to communicatedirectly with the call switch.

The web zone receives telephony traffic from a client of a customer, viathe SIP zone, and directs same to the application server 108 via one ormore Domain Name System (DNS) resolutions. For example, a first DNSwithin the web zone may process a request received via the SIP zone andthen deliver the processed request to a web service which connects to asecond DNS at or otherwise associated with the application server 108.Once the second DNS resolves the request, it is delivered to thedestination service at the application server 108. The web zone may alsoinclude a database for authenticating access to a software applicationfor telephony traffic processed within the SIP zone, for example, asoftphone.

The clients 104A through 104D communicate with the servers 108 through112 of the datacenter 106 via the network 114. The network 114 can be orinclude, for example, the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a widearea network (WAN), a virtual private network (VPN), or another publicor private means of electronic computer communication capable oftransferring data between a client and one or more servers. In someimplementations, a client can connect to the network 114 via a communalconnection point, link, or path, or using a distinct connection point,link, or path. For example, a connection point, link, or path can bewired, wireless, use other communications technologies, or a combinationthereof.

The network 114, the datacenter 106, or another element, or combinationof elements, of the system 100 can include network hardware such asrouters, switches, other network devices, or combinations thereof. Forexample, the datacenter 106 can include a load balancer 116 for routingtraffic from the network 114 to various servers associated with thedatacenter 106. The load balancer 116 can route, or direct, computingcommunications traffic, such as signals or messages, to respectiveelements of the datacenter 106.

For example, the load balancer 116 can operate as a proxy, or reverseproxy, for a service, such as a service provided to one or more remoteclients, such as one or more of the clients 104A through 104D, by theapplication server 108, the telephony server 112, and/or another server.Routing functions of the load balancer 116 can be configured directly orvia a DNS. The load balancer 116 can coordinate requests from remoteclients and can simplify client access by masking the internalconfiguration of the datacenter 106 from the remote clients.

In some implementations, the load balancer 116 can operate as afirewall, allowing or preventing communications based on configurationsettings. Although the load balancer 116 is depicted in FIG. 1 as beingwithin the datacenter 106, in some implementations, the load balancer116 can instead be located outside of the datacenter 106, for example,when providing global routing for multiple datacenters. In someimplementations, load balancers can be included both within and outsideof the datacenter 106. In some implementations, the load balancer 116can be omitted.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example internal configuration of acomputing device 200 of an electronic computing and communicationssystem. In one configuration, the computing device 200 may implement oneor more of the client 104, the application server 108, the databaseserver 110, or the telephony server 112 of the system 100 shown in FIG.1 .

The computing device 200 includes components or units, such as aprocessor 202, a memory 204, a bus 206, a power source 208, peripherals210, a user interface 212, a network interface 214, other suitablecomponents, or a combination thereof. One or more of the memory 204, thepower source 208, the peripherals 210, the user interface 212, or thenetwork interface 214 can communicate with the processor 202 via the bus206.

The processor 202 is a central processing unit, such as amicroprocessor, and can include single or multiple processors havingsingle or multiple processing cores. Alternatively, the processor 202can include another type of device, or multiple devices, configured formanipulating or processing information. For example, the processor 202can include multiple processors interconnected in one or more manners,including hardwired or networked. The operations of the processor 202can be distributed across multiple devices or units that can be coupleddirectly or across a local area or other suitable type of network. Theprocessor 202 can include a cache, or cache memory, for local storage ofoperating data or instructions.

The memory 204 includes one or more memory components, which may each bevolatile memory or non-volatile memory. For example, the volatile memorycan be random access memory (RAM) (e.g., a DRAM module, such as DDRSDRAM). In another example, the non-volatile memory of the memory 204can be a disk drive, a solid state drive, flash memory, or phase-changememory. In some implementations, the memory 204 can be distributedacross multiple devices. For example, the memory 204 can includenetwork-based memory or memory in multiple clients or servers performingthe operations of those multiple devices.

The memory 204 can include data for immediate access by the processor202. For example, the memory 204 can include executable instructions216, application data 218, and an operating system 220. The executableinstructions 216 can include one or more application programs, which canbe loaded or copied, in whole or in part, from non-volatile memory tovolatile memory to be executed by the processor 202. For example, theexecutable instructions 216 can include instructions for performing someor all of the techniques of this disclosure. The application data 218can include user data, database data (e.g., database catalogs ordictionaries), or the like. In some implementations, the applicationdata 218 can include functional programs, such as a web browser, a webserver, a database server, another program, or a combination thereof.The operating system 220 can be, for example, Microsoft Windows®, Mac OSX®, or Linux®; an operating system for a mobile device, such as asmartphone or tablet device; or an operating system for a non-mobiledevice, such as a mainframe computer.

The power source 208 provides power to the computing device 200. Forexample, the power source 208 can be an interface to an external powerdistribution system. In another example, the power source 208 can be abattery, such as where the computing device 200 is a mobile device or isotherwise configured to operate independently of an external powerdistribution system. In some implementations, the computing device 200may include or otherwise use multiple power sources. In some suchimplementations, the power source 208 can be a backup battery.

The peripherals 210 includes one or more sensors, detectors, or otherdevices configured for monitoring the computing device 200 or theenvironment around the computing device 200. For example, theperipherals 210 can include a geolocation component, such as a globalpositioning system location unit. In another example, the peripheralscan include a temperature sensor for measuring temperatures ofcomponents of the computing device 200, such as the processor 202. Insome implementations, the computing device 200 can omit the peripherals210.

The user interface 212 includes one or more input interfaces and/oroutput interfaces. An input interface may, for example, be a positionalinput device, such as a mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, or the like; akeyboard; or another suitable human or machine interface device. Anoutput interface may, for example, be a display, such as a liquidcrystal display, a cathode-ray tube, a light emitting diode display, orother suitable display.

The network interface 214 provides a connection or link to a network(e.g., the network 114 shown in FIG. 1 ). The network interface 214 canbe a wired network interface or a wireless network interface. Thecomputing device 200 can communicate with other devices via the networkinterface 214 using one or more network protocols, such as usingEthernet, transmission control protocol (TCP), internet protocol (IP),power line communication, an IEEE 802.X protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, or ZigBee), infrared, visible light, general packet radioservice (GPRS), global system for mobile communications (GSM),code-division multiple access (CDMA), Z-Wave, another protocol, or acombination thereof.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example of a software platform 300implemented by an electronic computing and communications system, forexample, the system 100 shown in FIG. 1 . The software platform 300 is aUCaaS platform accessible by clients of a customer of a UCaaS platformprovider, for example, the clients 104A through 104B of the customer102A or the clients 104C through 104D of the customer 102B shown in FIG.1 . The software platform 300 may be a multi-tenant platforminstantiated using one or more servers at one or more datacentersincluding, for example, the application server 108, the database server110, and the telephony server 112 of the datacenter 106 shown in FIG. 1.

The software platform 300 includes software services accessible usingone or more clients. For example, a customer 302 as shown includes fourclients—a desk phone 304, a computer 306, a mobile device 308, and ashared device 310. The desk phone 304 is a desktop unit configured to atleast send and receive calls and includes an input device for receivinga telephone number or extension to dial to and an output device foroutputting audio and/or video for a call in progress. The computer 306is a desktop, laptop, or tablet computer including an input device forreceiving some form of user input and an output device for outputtinginformation in an audio and/or visual format. The mobile device 308 is asmartphone, wearable device, or other mobile computing aspect includingan input device for receiving some form of user input and an outputdevice for outputting information in an audio and/or visual format. Thedesk phone 304, the computer 306, and the mobile device 308 maygenerally be considered personal devices configured for use by a singleuser. The shared device 310 is a desk phone, a computer, a mobiledevice, or a different device which may instead be configured for use bymultiple specified or unspecified users.

Each of the clients 304 through 310 includes or runs on a computingdevice configured to access at least a portion of the software platform300. In some implementations, the customer 302 may include additionalclients not shown. For example, the customer 302 may include multipleclients of one or more client types (e.g., multiple desk phones ormultiple computers) and/or one or more clients of a client type notshown in FIG. 3 (e.g., wearable devices or televisions other than asshared devices). For example, the customer 302 may have tens or hundredsof desk phones, computers, mobile devices, and/or shared devices.

The software services of the software platform 300 generally relate tocommunications tools, but are in no way limited in scope. As shown, thesoftware services of the software platform 300 include telephonysoftware 312, conferencing software 314, messaging software 316, andother software 318. Some or all of the software 312 through 318 usescustomer configurations 320 specific to the customer 302. The customerconfigurations 320 may, for example, be data stored within a database orother data store at a database server, such as the database server 110shown in FIG. 1 .

The telephony software 312 enables telephony traffic between ones of theclients 304 through 310 and other telephony-enabled devices, which maybe other ones of the clients 304 through 310, other VOIP-enabled clientsof the customer 302, non-VOIP-enabled devices of the customer 302,VOIP-enabled clients of another customer, non-VOIP-enabled devices ofanother customer, or other VOIP-enabled clients or non-VOIP-enableddevices. Calls sent or received using the telephony software 312 may,for example, be sent or received using the desk phone 304, a softphonerunning on the computer 306, a mobile application running on the mobiledevice 308, or using the shared device 310 that includes telephonyfeatures.

The telephony software 312 further enables phones that do not include aclient application to connect to other software services of the softwareplatform 300. For example, the telephony software 312 may receive andprocess calls from phones not associated with the customer 302 to routethat telephony traffic to one or more of the conferencing software 314,the messaging software 316, or the other software 318.

The conferencing software 314 enables audio, video, and/or other formsof conferences between multiple participants, such as to facilitate aconference between those participants. In some cases, the participantsmay all be physically present within a single location, for example, aconference room, in which the conferencing software 314 may facilitate aconference between only those participants and using one or more clientswithin the conference room. In some cases, one or more participants maybe physically present within a single location and one or more otherparticipants may be remote, in which the conferencing software 314 mayfacilitate a conference between all of those participants using one ormore clients within the conference room and one or more remote clients.In some cases, the participants may all be remote, in which theconferencing software 314 may facilitate a conference between theparticipants using different clients for the participants. Theconferencing software 314 can include functionality for hosting,presenting scheduling, joining, or otherwise participating in aconference. The conferencing software 314 may further includefunctionality for recording some or all of a conference and/ordocumenting a transcript for the conference.

The messaging software 316 enables instant messaging, unified messaging,and other types of messaging communications between multiple devices,such as to facilitate a chat or other virtual conversation between usersof those devices. The unified messaging functionality of the messagingsoftware 316 may, for example, refer to email messaging which includes avoicemail transcription service delivered in email format.

The other software 318 enables other functionality of the softwareplatform 300. Examples of the other software 318 include, but are notlimited to, device management software, resource provisioning anddeployment software, administrative software, third party integrationsoftware, and the like. In one particular example, the other software318 can include software for handling a telephony outage and/or softwarefor load balancing.

The software 312 through 318 may be implemented using one or moreservers, for example, of a datacenter such as the datacenter 106 shownin FIG. 1 . For example, one or more of the software 312 through 318 maybe implemented using an application server, a database server, and/or atelephony server, such as the servers 108 through 112 shown in FIG. 1 .In another example, one or more of the software 312 through 318 may beimplemented using servers not shown in FIG. 1 , for example, a meetingserver, a web server, or another server. In yet another example, one ormore of the software 312 through 318 may be implemented using one ormore of the servers 108 through 112 and one or more other servers. Thesoftware 312 through 318 may be implemented by different servers or bythe same server.

Features of the software services of the software platform 300 may beintegrated with one another to provide a unified experience for users.For example, the messaging software 316 may include a user interfaceelement configured to initiate a call with another user of the customer302. In another example, the telephony software 312 may includefunctionality for elevating a telephone call to a conference. In yetanother example, the conferencing software 314 may include functionalityfor sending and receiving instant messages between participants and/orother users of the customer 302. In yet another example, theconferencing software 314 may include functionality for file sharingbetween participants and/or other users of the customer 302. In someimplementations, some or all of the software 312 through 318 may becombined into a single software application run on clients of thecustomer, such as one or more of the clients 304 through 310.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example system 400 in which handling a telephonyoutage may be implemented. As shown, the system 400 includes adatacenter 402 and a customer premises 406. The datacenter 402 maycorrespond to the datacenter 106. The customer premises 406 maycorrespond to one of the customers 102A through 102B. The customerpremises may be an office space, a shared co-working space, an apartmentcomplex or another space where multiple client devices may be connectedwith one or multiple telephony nodes.

As shown, the datacenter includes servers 404. While two servers 404.1and 404.2 are illustrated, some implementations disclosed herein may beimplemented with other numbers of servers 404. Each of the servers 404may correspond to at least one of the clients 104A, 104B, 104C or 104D.The datacenter 402 is connected to the PSTN 412 and is capable ofprocessing incoming or outgoing telephone calls via the PSTN 412.

As illustrated, the customer premises 406 includes client devices 408and a telephony node 410. While two client devices 408.1 and 408.2 areillustrated, some implementations may use other numbers of clientdevices 408. As shown, each client device 408 is connected to at leastone server 404 in the datacenter 402, with different client devices 408potentially being connected to different servers 402. The telephony node410 is connected to one or both of the servers 404 in the datacenter402. The telephony node 410 is connected to the PSTN 412 for processingincoming and/or outgoing telephone calls via the PSTN 412.

At some point, a telephony outage occurs, which wholly or partiallydisrupts telephony services previously accessible to the client devices408. In some cases, the client device 408.1 (or another client device408) determines that a telephony outage is occurring. In some cases, thetelephony node 410 may also or instead determine that the telephonyoutage is occurring. The client device 408 and/or the telephony node410, as applicable, may determine that the telephony outage is occurringbased on an inability to connect with the server 404 in the datacenter402. In response to determining that the telephony outage is occurring,the client device 408.1 attempts to connect to the telephony node 410(or at least one of multiple telephony nodes) using an encryptedpassword stored at the client device 408.1.

The telephony node 410 receives the encrypted password from the clientdevice 408.1 attempting to connect with the telephony node 410 to accesstelephony services. The telephony node 410 decrypts the password. Thetelephony node 410 authenticates the password. In response toauthenticating the password, the telephony node 410 provides access totelephony services for the client device 408.1. The client device 408.1may thus access a set of telephony services via the telephony node 410.The set of telephony services may include, for example, access to thePSTN 412 and voice, chat or video conferencing with other on-premisesdevices.

In some implementations, when there is no telephony outage and theclient devices 408 are able to communicate with both the telephony node410 and the datacenter 402, load balancing may be implemented betweenthe servers 404 and the telephony nodes 410. The load balancing may bebased on the pre-existing load on the servers 404 or the telephony node410 or based on capabilities of the servers 404 or the telephony node410. The load balancing may be implemented during times of peaktelephony usage (e.g., during business hours).

FIG. 5 is a data flow diagram of an example of a sequence 500 ofoperations for handling a telephony outage. As shown, the sequence 500is implemented using the client device 408.1, the telephony node 410,and the datacenter 402 of FIG. 4 .

At block 502, the client device 408.1 attempts to connect to thedatacenter 402 (e.g., to the server 404.1 in the datacenter 402). Theattempt by the client device 408.1 may be made in response to anattempt, by a user of the client device 408.1, to access telephonyservices using the client device 408.1. Upon failing to connect to thedatacenter 402 after a predefined time period (e.g., 0.5 seconds or 1second) of the attempt by the client device 408.1, the client device408.1 determines that it cannot connect to the datacenter 402. In atleast some cases, the telephony node 410 may also attempt to connect tothe datacenter 402 and fail to connect during the predefined timeperiod.

At block 504, based on the attempt to connect to the datacenter 402failing, the client device 408.1 determines that a telephony outage ishappening. Similarly, whether concurrent with the telephony outagedetermination by the client device 408.1 or otherwise, the telephonynode 410 determines that a telephony outage is happening based on itsattempt to connect to the datacenter 402 failing. In some cases, afterdetermining that the telephony outage is happening, the client device408.1 may attempt to connect to telephony services in other ways (e.g.,using other networking or connection techniques). For example, if thetelephony outage is due to an outage in Wi-Fi® services, the clientdevice 408.1 may attempt to connect to telephony services over acellular connection or a wired connection (if available).

At block 506, based on a determination by the client device 408.1 thatthe telephony outage is happening, the client device 408.1 transmits anencrypted password to the telephony node 410. In some implementations,the client device 408.1 pushes the encrypted password to the telephonynode 410. The client device 408.1 may transmit the encrypted password tothe telephony node 410 via a local network of the premises, for example,a local wired network or a local Wi-Fi® network. The encrypted passwordmay be transmitted using any encryption technique, for exampleDiffie-Hellman encryption may be used.

At block 508, the telephony node 410 decrypts the password received fromthe client device 408.1. In some implementations, the telephony node 410always decrypts the password. In some implementations, the telephonynode 410 decrypts the password if it is unable to connect with thedatacenter. Otherwise, the telephony node 410 notifies (e.g., bytransmitting a message over the local network of the premises) theclient device that the datacenter is available for connection. At block510, the telephony node 410 authenticates the client device 408.1 basedon the decrypted password. The authentication verifies that the clientdevice 408.1 has permission to access telephony services via thetelephony node 410 based on the password. In some implementations, thepassword for connecting with the telephony node 410 is different fromthe password for connecting with the datacenter because, when the clientdevice 408.1 tries to connect to the telephony node 410, the datacentermight be unavailable to verify the password. For example, the datacentermay be offline.

At block 512, the client device 408.1 accesses telephony services viathe telephony node 410. Accessing telephony services may entail two-waycommunication between the client device 408.1 and the telephony node410. The accessed telephony services may include some or all of thetelephony services that are provisioned by the telephony node 410, suchas access to PSTN calls and intra-office virtual meetings.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example system 600 in which telephony loadbalancing may be implemented. As shown, the system 600 includes adatacenter 602 (e.g., corresponding to datacenter 402) and a customerpremises 606 (e.g., corresponding to customer premises 406). As shown inFIG. 6 , during time periods of high telephony usage, the telephony loadmay be balanced between servers at the datacenter 602 and telephonynodes at the customer premises 606. The implementations shown in FIG. 6may reduce a likelihood of overloading (e.g., exceeding 95% of cache orprocessor usage) the servers at the datacenter 602 or the telephonynodes at the customer premises 606.

The datacenter 602 includes multiple servers 604 (e.g., three servers604.1, 604.2, and 604.3 as shown or another number of servers) and aload balancer 614. The load balancer 614 balances load (e.g., onprocessors, memory, and network interfaces) between the servers 604. Theload balancer 614 may reside on one or more of the servers 604 or onanother computing machine of the datacenter 602.

The customer premises 606 includes multiple client devices 608 (e.g.,three client devices 608.1, 608.2, and 608.3 as shown or another numberof client devices) and multiple telephony nodes 610 (e.g., two telephonynodes 610.1 and 610.2 as shown or another number of telephony nodes).The customer premises 606 also includes a load balancer 616. The loadbalancer 616 balances load (e.g., on processors, memory, and networkinterfaces) between the telephony nodes 610. The load balancer 616 mayreside on one or more of the telephony nodes 610, on a client device 608or another computing machine located at the customer premises 606.

In implementations with multiple telephony nodes 610, load balancingcould be implemented between the telephony nodes 610 using the loadbalancer 616. In some implementations, different telephony nodes 610provide different services. For example, one telephony node 610.1 mayhandle PSTN calls and another telephony node 610.2 may handle videoconferencing between on-premises devices. In some implementations, eachof the telephony nodes 610 provides the same services and loads arebalanced between the telephony nodes 610 to ensure that no telephonynode 610 is overloaded (e.g., using more than 90% of its processingpower, memory, cache, and network interface).

Similarly, at the datacenter 602, different servers 604 may beresponsible for different functions. For example, one server 604 may beresponsible for handling video conferences and another server 604 may beresponsible for handling an automated receptionist service.Alternatively, multiple servers 604 may provide the same services andloads may be balanced between the servers 604 to ensure that no server604 is overloaded (e.g., using more than 90% of its processing power,memory, cache, and network interface).

When the datacenter 602 is accessible to the client device 608 and thetelephony node 610 of the customer premises 606, load balancing may beimplemented between the datacenter 602 and the telephony node 610, forexample, using the load balancer 614 of the datacenter 602, the loadbalancer 616 of the customer premises or a combination of the loadbalancers 614 and 616. For example, during low usage times, alltelephony services may be provided to the client devices 608 using thedatacenter 602. During high usage times, the datacenter 602 couldhandle, on behalf of the client device 608, use cases that cannot beaccomplished using the telephony node 610, such as online meetings orautomated receptionist service. The telephony node 610 could be used tohandle, on behalf of the client device 608, features such as PSTN callsthat do not require the involvement of the datacenter 602.Alternatively, if many PSTN calls are occurring simultaneously, thehandling of the PSTN calls may be split between the servers 604 of thedatacenter 602 and the telephony node 610.

To further describe some implementations in greater detail, reference isnext made to examples of techniques which may be performed by telephonyoutage handling using an on-premises telephony node. FIG. 7 is aflowchart of an example of a technique 700 for handling a telephonyoutage. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of a technique 800 for atelephony node to provide telephony services. FIG. 9 is a flowchart ofan example of a technique 900 for telephony load balancing.

The techniques 700, 800, and 900 can be executed using computingdevices, such as the systems, hardware, and software described withrespect to FIGS. 1-6 . The techniques 700, 800, and 900 can beperformed, for example, by executing a machine-readable program or othercomputer-executable instructions, such as routines, instructions,programs, or other code. The steps, or operations, of the techniques700, 800, 900 or another technique, method, process, or algorithmdescribed in connection with the implementations disclosed herein can beimplemented directly in hardware, firmware, software executed byhardware, circuitry, or a combination thereof.

For simplicity of explanation, the technique 700 is depicted anddescribed herein as a series of steps or operations. However, the stepsor operations in accordance with this disclosure can occur in variousorders and/or concurrently. Additionally, other steps or operations notpresented and described herein may be used. Furthermore, not allillustrated steps or operations may be required to implement a techniquein accordance with the disclosed subject matter.

Referring first to FIG. 7 , the technique 700 is shown. At block 702, aclient device (e.g., the client device 408 or 608) and/or a telephonynode (e.g., the telephony node 410 or 610) at a customer premises 406 or606 determines that a telephony outage is occurring. For example, theclient device and/or the telephony node may determine that the clientdevice and/or the telephony node is incapable of connecting to a server(e.g., the server 404 or 604) at the datacenter (e.g., the datacenter402 or 602). In some implementations, this occurs when the client deviceattempts to access telephony services via the server but is unable to doso. At approximately the same time (e.g., within 5 seconds) thetelephony node attempts to access telephony services via the server butis unable to do so.

At block 704, the client device connects to the telephony node using anencrypted password at a client device. In some implementations, theclient device connects to the telephony node in response to an attemptto access telephony services at the client device and a determination atthe client device that a telephony outage is ongoing (e.g., due tofailure to connect to the server). The client device may transmit theencrypted password to the telephony node for decryption andauthentication thereat, for example, as described in conjunction withFIG. 8 . The password may be an SSO password of the client device forconnecting to the telephony node and/or the datacenter. Based on thetelephony node determining that the telephony outage is ongoing (inaddition to the similar determination at the client device), thetelephony node decodes the password and authenticates the password toallow the client device to access the telephony services through thetelephony node.

At block 706, the client device accesses a set of telephony services viathe telephony node. While using the telephony node as the intermediary,the client device may be able to use all or a subset of the servicesprovided by the datacenter when the telephony outage is not occurring.The services provided while using the telephony node may depend on theconfiguration of the client device or the telephony node. In someexamples, the telephony node is a “thin” telephony node that provides asubset of the services provided by the datacenter. The subset mayinclude, for example, intra-office calling functionality and access tothe PSTN (e.g., PSTN 412). Other services, such as call recording,online meeting creation, and automated receptionist service might not beavailable until the client device is able to reconnect to thedatacenter. Alternatively, in a “thick” telephony node implementation,the telephony node may include similar software to the datacenter. Allof the services typically provided by the datacenter may then beprovided by software residing at the telephony node and/or softwareresiding locally at the client device. In one implementation, the set oftelephony services provided by the telephony node includes intra-officecalling and access to the PSTN and does not include at least one of callrecording, online meeting creation, or automated receptionist service.

In some implementations, upon connection to the telephony node, thetelephony node transmits a message notifying a user of the client deviceof unavailability of a collection of telephony services. The telephonynode may provide a replacement telephony service for one or moreservices in the collection of telephony services.

Referring next to FIG. 8 , the technique 800 is shown. At block 802, thetelephony node receives an encrypted password from a client device(e.g., client device 408 or 608). In some cases, the client deviceattempts to access telephony services and, upon failing to connect tothe datacenter, attempts to connect to the telephony node using thepassword.

At block 804, the telephony node decrypts the password. Multipledifferent decryption techniques may be used to decrypt the password. Forexample, the Diffie-Hellman encryption algorithm may be used.Alternatively, Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) encryption or elliptic curvecryptography may be used.

At block 806, the telephony node authenticates the decrypted password.For example, the telephony node verifies that the client deviceattempting to connect to the telephony node has permission to accesstelephony services via the telephony node. The telephony node may storea data structure indicating client devices that are permitted to accesstelephony services through the telephony node.

At block 808, the telephony node provides telephony services to theclient device. The available telephony services may be determined basedon a configuration of the telephony node and/or a configuration of theclient device. In some examples, the available telephony services mayinclude access to the PSTN. If the client device is configured for videocalling, the available services may include intra-premises videocalling.

Referring last to FIG. 9 , the technique 900 is shown. At block 902, aload balancer (e.g., load balancer 614, load balancer 616 or acombination of load balancers 614 and 616) receives a request to accesstelephony services. The request to access telephony services may be froma client device (e.g., client device 608). The request may be generatedby a user attempting to access a telephony service via the clientdevice. Alternatively, the client device may access telephony serviceswithout input from a user of the client device, for example, in responseto an incoming telephone call or audio/video conferencing request.

At block 904, the load balancer determines a load at telephony servers(e.g., the servers 604 at the datacenter 602). The load may bedetermined using any load measuring technique. For example, the loadbalancer may send, to the telephony servers, messages to determine whatpercentages of their processors and cache memory are being used.

At block 906, the load balancer determines a load at the telephonynode(s). Various known load determination techniques may be used. Forexample, the load balancer may send, to the telephony nodes, messages todetermine what percentages of their processors and cache memory arebeing used.

At block 908, the load balancer assigns the request (received at theblock 902) to access telephony services to a telephony node or atelephony server. The request may be assigned based on technicalcapability to fulfill the request and/or a current load of the telephonynode or the telephony server fulfilling the request. The load balancermay ensure that the load is below a threshold, where the threshold isdetermined based on loads on other telephony nodes or telephony servers.The load balancer may ensure that the telephony node or the telephonyserver includes software or hardware for fulfilling the request. Forexample, if the request is associated with a video conference withparties outside the premises, the load balancer may ensure that thetelephony node or the telephony server is capable of handling such avideo conference.

The techniques 700, 800, and 900 are described as being implemented inseries and in a given order. Alternatively, two or more of theoperations in the techniques 700, 800 or 900 may be performed inparallel. In some cases, the operations of the techniques 700, 800 or900 may be performed in a different order from the specified order.

The techniques 700, 800, and 900 may be used separately from one anotherand/or in conjunction with one another. For example, the technique 700relates to a client device detecting a telephony outage (due to theclient device's inability to connect to the server) and, in response todetecting the telephony outage, connecting to telephony services via thetelephony node. The technique 800 relates to the telephony nodereceiving a password from the client device and, based on the password,authenticating the client device for accessing telephony services viathe telephony node. The technique 900 relates to load balancing betweenservers at the datacenter and telephony nodes at the customer premiseswhen both are available for providing telephony services.

Combinations of the techniques 700, 800, and 900 describe the processesfor delivering telephony services over a telephony node (e.g., locatedon-premises at a customer premises) based on a telephony outage. Inparticular, at some point after a telephony outage affecting telephonyservices delivered by a datacenter begins, a client device of a userattempts to connect to the datacenter to use a subject telephonyservice. The client device is unable to connect to the datacenter basedon that attempt. The telephony node also attempts to connect to thedatacenter and is unable to. Based on the client device being unable toconnect to the datacenter, the client device pushes an encryptedpassword, usable to authenticate access to telephony services at thetelephony node by the client device, to the telephony node. Based on thetelephony node being unable to connect to the datacenter, the telephonynode decrypts and uses the password pushed from the client device toauthenticate access to the telephony services at the telephony node bythe client device. The client device thus accesses the telephonyservices via the telephony node.

Some implementations are described below as numbered examples (Example1, 2, 3, etc.). These examples are provided as exampled only and do notlimit the disclosed implementations.

Example 1 is a method comprising: determining that a telephony outage isoccurring; connecting to an on-premises telephony node using anencrypted password at a client device; and accessing a set of telephonyservices at the client device via the on-premises telephony node.

In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 includes, whereindetermining that the telephony outage is occurring comprises:determining that the client device is incapable of connecting to aserver; and determining that the on-premises telephony node is incapableof connecting to the server.

In Example 3, the subject matter of Examples 1-2 includes, whereinconnecting to the on-premises telephony node comprises: transmitting theencrypted password from the client device to the on-premises telephonynode; and receiving a response from the on-premises telephony nodeindicating that access to the telephony services is granted.

In Example 4, the subject matter of Examples 1-3 includes, wherein theset of telephony services comprises a portion of telephony servicesaccessible when the telephony outage is not occurring.

In Example 5, the subject matter of Examples 1-4 includes, wherein theset of telephony services includes intra-office calling and access to apublic switched telephone network and does not include at least one ofcall recording, online meeting creation, or automated receptionistservice.

In Example 6, the subject matter of Examples 1-5 includes, receiving anotification of unavailability of a second set of telephony services atthe client device; and preventing access to the second set of telephonyservices at the client device.

In Example 7, the subject matter of Examples 1-6 includes, whereinconnecting to the on-premises telephony node using the encryptedpassword at the client device comprises: pushing the encrypted passwordfrom the client device to the on-premises telephony node.

Example 8 is an apparatus comprising: a memory; and a processorconfigured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: determinethat a telephony outage is occurring; connect to an on-premisestelephony node using an encrypted password at a client device; andaccess a set of telephony services at the client device via theon-premises telephony node.

In Example 9, the subject matter of Example 8 includes, whereindetermining that the telephony outage is occurring comprises:determining that the client device is incapable of connecting to aserver; and determining that the on-premises telephony node is incapableof connecting to the server.

In Example 10, the subject matter of Examples 8-9 includes, whereinconnecting to the on-premises telephony node comprises: transmitting theencrypted password from the client device to the on-premises telephonynode; and receiving a response from the on-premises telephony nodeindicating that access to the telephony services is granted.

In Example 11, the subject matter of Examples 8-10 includes, wherein theset of telephony services comprises telephony services accessible whenthe telephony outage is not occurring.

In Example 12, the subject matter of Examples 8-11 includes, wherein theset of telephony services includes access to a public switched telephonenetwork.

In Example 13, the subject matter of Examples 8-12 includes, wherein theclient device determines that the telephony outage is occurring byfailing to connect to a server.

In Example 14, the subject matter of Examples 8-13 includes, whereinconnecting to the on-premises telephony node is in response to anattempt to access the set of telephony services at the client device.

Example 15 is a computer-readable medium storing instructions operableto cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:determining that a telephony outage is occurring; connecting to anon-premises telephony node using an encrypted password at a clientdevice; and accessing a set of telephony services at the client devicevia the on-premises telephony node.

In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15 includes, whereindetermining that the telephony outage is occurring comprises:determining that the client device is incapable of connecting to aserver; and determining that the on-premises telephony node is incapableof connecting to the server.

In Example 17, the subject matter of Examples 15-16 includes, whereinconnecting to the on-premises telephony node comprises: transmitting theencrypted password from the client device to the on-premises telephonynode; and receiving a response from the on-premises telephony nodeindicating that access to the telephony services is granted.

In Example 18, the subject matter of Examples 15-17 includes, whereinthe on-premises telephony node is connected to the client device via alocal network of a premises.

In Example 19, the subject matter of Examples 15-18 includes, whereinthe set of telephony services includes intra-office calling.

In Example 20, the subject matter of Examples 15-19 includes, whereinthe client device stores the encrypted password for accessing the set oftelephony services via the on-premises telephony node and an additionalpassword for accessing a second set of telephony services via adatacenter.

Example 21 is at least one machine-readable medium includinginstructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause theprocessing circuitry to perform operations to implement of any ofExamples 1-20.

Example 22 is an apparatus comprising means to implement of any ofExamples 1-20.

Example 23 is a system to implement of any of Examples 1-20.

Example 24 is a method to implement of any of Examples 1-20.

The implementations of this disclosure can be described in terms offunctional block components and various processing operations. Suchfunctional block components can be realized by a number of hardware orsoftware components that perform the specified functions. For example,the disclosed implementations can employ various integrated circuitcomponents (e.g., memory elements, processing elements, logic elements,look-up tables, and the like), which can carry out a variety offunctions under the control of one or more microprocessors or othercontrol devices. Similarly, where the elements of the disclosedimplementations are implemented using software programming or softwareelements, the systems and techniques can be implemented with aprogramming or scripting language, such as C, C++, Java, JavaScript,assembler, or the like, with the various algorithms being implementedwith a combination of data structures, objects, processes, routines, orother programming elements.

Functional aspects can be implemented in algorithms that execute on oneor more processors. Furthermore, the implementations of the systems andtechniques disclosed herein could employ a number of conventionaltechniques for electronics configuration, signal processing or control,data processing, and the like. The words “mechanism” and “component” areused broadly and are not limited to mechanical or physicalimplementations, but can include software routines in conjunction withprocessors, etc. Likewise, the terms “system” or “tool” as used hereinand in the figures, but in any event based on their context, may beunderstood as corresponding to a functional unit implemented usingsoftware, hardware (e.g., an integrated circuit, such as an ASIC), or acombination of software and hardware. In certain contexts, such systemsor mechanisms may be understood to be a processor-implemented softwaresystem or processor-implemented software mechanism that is part of orcallable by an executable program, which may itself be wholly or partlycomposed of such linked systems or mechanisms.

Implementations or portions of implementations of the above disclosurecan take the form of a computer program product accessible from, forexample, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium. Acomputer-usable or computer-readable medium can be a device that can,for example, tangibly contain, store, communicate, or transport aprogram or data structure for use by or in connection with a processor.The medium can be, for example, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, or semiconductor device.

Other suitable mediums are also available. Such computer-usable orcomputer-readable media can be referred to as non-transitory memory ormedia, and can include volatile memory or non-volatile memory that canchange over time. The quality of memory or media being non-transitoryrefers to such memory or media storing data for some period of time orotherwise based on device power or a device power cycle. A memory of anapparatus described herein, unless otherwise specified, does not have tobe physically contained by the apparatus, but is one that can beaccessed remotely by the apparatus, and does not have to be contiguouswith other memory that might be physically contained by the apparatus.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with certainimplementations, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to belimited to the disclosed implementations but, on the contrary, isintended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangementsincluded within the scope of the appended claims, which scope is to beaccorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining that a telephonyoutage is occurring; connecting to an on-premises telephony node usingan encrypted password at a client device; and accessing a set oftelephony services at the client device via the on-premises telephonynode.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the telephonyoutage is occurring comprises: determining that the client device isincapable of connecting to a server; and determining that theon-premises telephony node is incapable of connecting to the server. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein connecting to the on-premises telephonynode comprises: transmitting the encrypted password from the clientdevice to the on-premises telephony node; and receiving a response fromthe on-premises telephony node indicating that access to the telephonyservices is granted.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set oftelephony services comprises a portion of telephony services accessiblewhen the telephony outage is not occurring.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the set of telephony services includes intra-office calling andaccess to a public switched telephone network and does not include atleast one of call recording, online meeting creation, or automatedreceptionist service.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving a notification of unavailability of a second set of telephonyservices at the client device; and preventing access to the second setof telephony services at the client device.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein connecting to the on-premises telephony node using the encryptedpassword at the client device comprises: pushing the encrypted passwordfrom the client device to the on-premises telephony node.
 8. Anapparatus comprising: a memory; and a processor configured to executeinstructions stored in the memory to: determine that a telephony outageis occurring; connect to an on-premises telephony node using anencrypted password at a client device; and access a set of telephonyservices at the client device via the on-premises telephony node.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein determining that the telephony outage isoccurring comprises: determining that the client device is incapable ofconnecting to a server; and determining that the on-premises telephonynode is incapable of connecting to the server.
 10. The apparatus ofclaim 8, wherein connecting to the on-premises telephony node comprises:transmitting the encrypted password from the client device to theon-premises telephony node; and receiving a response from theon-premises telephony node indicating that access to the telephonyservices is granted.
 11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the set oftelephony services comprises telephony services accessible when thetelephony outage is not occurring.
 12. The apparatus of claim 8, whereinthe set of telephony services includes access to a public switchedtelephone network.
 13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the clientdevice determines that the telephony outage is occurring by failing toconnect to a server.
 14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein connecting tothe on-premises telephony node is in response to an attempt to accessthe set of telephony services at the client device.
 15. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause one ormore processors to perform operations comprising: determining that atelephony outage is occurring; connecting to an on-premises telephonynode using an encrypted password at a client device; and accessing a setof telephony services at the client device via the on-premises telephonynode.
 16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein determiningthat the telephony outage is occurring comprises: determining that theclient device is incapable of connecting to a server; and determiningthat the on-premises telephony node is incapable of connecting to theserver.
 17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein connectingto the on-premises telephony node comprises: transmitting the encryptedpassword from the client device to the on-premises telephony node; andreceiving a response from the on-premises telephony node indicating thataccess to the telephony services is granted.
 18. The computer-readablemedium of claim 15, wherein the on-premises telephony node is connectedto the client device via a local network of a premises.
 19. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the set of telephonyservices includes intra-office calling.
 20. The computer-readable mediumof claim 15, wherein the client device stores the encrypted password foraccessing the set of telephony services via the on-premises telephonynode and an additional password for accessing a second set of telephonyservices via a datacenter.